Hermosillo, October 26.- After the murder of Former American soldier Nicholas Douglas at an organized crime checkpoint located on a highway in Sonorathe governor of the state, Alfonso Durazo and the Arizona Governor Katie Hobbsthey agreed to create “safe corridors”that is, sections free of criminal cells.
The pilot program will be the highway that goes from Sonoyta (municipality bordering Arizona) to Puerto Penascoa tourist destination that Nicholas was looking to go to with his girlfriend and mother-in-law.
It should be noted that by ignoring the signs of the hitmen in the Caborca-Altar sectionthe foreigner originally from Tucson was chased and intercepted at a gas station, at which time a vehicle prevented his passage to execute him.
This measure, which was agreed upon between both governors to contain the racketeering which operates in the north of Sonora (border), was made public in the presence of the United States ambassador at a press conference in Hermosillo.
Durazo maintained that there are already several initiatives to guarantee safe corridors, as he attributed that the insecurity problems that arise in Sonora are the product of “the criminal activity of organizations that are characterized by their transnational level.”
It is for this reason that the state president emphasized the need for cooperation between the two countries, explaining that it is the only way to stop the Mexican cartelssince their influence is international.
It was striking among the press present that Democrat Katie Hobbs did not comment anything regarding the murdered ex-marine; It is worth remembering that on October 22, the Republican J.D. Vance demanded justice for the murder of Douglas, statements that come in the midst of the presidential campaign in the United States.
On October 21, the Attorney General’s Office of the State of Sonora (FGJES) reported that, due to investigations being carried out in Caborca for the murder of the foreigner, a Black Hawk helicopter neutralized four shooters in the same area, who had already They were in a confrontation with the Mexican Army.
So far, neither the delegation of the Attorney General’s Office in Sonora nor the state government have made any progress in the investigation.
What cartels operate in Sonora?
Northern Sonora is the scene of a territorial dispute between five organized crime groups: The Salazars, The Caborca Carteltwo cells of Los Chapitos and one of The Mayitosthe latter at war since the capture of the drug trafficker ‘El Mayo’ Zambada.
In 2024, given the rise in violence, the Governor of Sonora declared sole commands in San Luis Río Colorado, Huatabampo, Benito Juárez and Sonoyta, a measure that removes responsibility for security from the municipal forces and transfers them to the State Police or the Mexican Army.
Currently the municipal police of the aforementioned municipalities are carrying out trust and capacity tests, some have been expelled and others reinstated, as in the recent case of the return of 120 elements in San Luis Río Colorado.
